Russia Suffered 50,000 Casualties Last Month, NATO Official Says

Russia had more than 50,000 casualties in Ukraine last month, with as many as 28,000 personnel killed — vastly more than losses by Ukrainian forces, according to a senior NATO military official.

The Russian military has been trying to make offensive gains in Ukraine, sending troops into “kill zones” rife with armed drones, land mines, artillery fire and other defenses, the official said. Ukrainian forces suffered about 5,000 casualties in the same period, said the official, who was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

That has intensified the stakes for Moscow at a critical time, as deep aerial strikes by Ukraine destroy oil refineries and data centers, and a ground offensive has recaptured more than 125 square kilometers of territory.

Last week, Martin Jäger, the head of Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service, the BND, said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war effort has created a dynamic that makes it difficult for him to end the invasion he began in February 2022 without paying a political price.

On Sunday, President Donald Trump said Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an “energy ceasefire” effective immediately. He did not provide details, and he made a similar announcement last month, though Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later said no deal had been finalized, and the war has continued.

Defense expenditure in Russia is expected to approach 17 trillion rubles this year, about 40% higher than the original plan announced by the government at the end of 2025.

In July, Pavlo Palisa, deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office, said 43,000 Russians had been killed or wounded on the battlefield. The Kremlin doesn’t release casualty or recruitment figures, and Palisa’s estimates can’t be confirmed by Bloomberg. 

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